Renegade Path

“Why so quiet, sweetie?” Aunt Susan asked, passing me the bowl of mashed potatoes. “Thinking about the boy?”

As if I’d ever talk about a boy at the dinner table. “I have a lot of homework. That’s all.”

“No boy’s gonna be interested in you if you make him feel stupid all the time,” Uncle Jared pointed out.

I bit my tongue again. So many retorts raced into my mind.

I’m not interested in a boy who’s intimidated by my good grades.

Boys don’t factor into how I approach my schoolwork.

And my personal favorite—Fuck right off, Uncle Jared. Secure men don’t fear smart women.

Roman doesn’t. Not that we had a lot of time to talk, but I sensed his interest in what I had to say during English class. He didn’t mock me or call me nerd girl.

No, I could picture Roman encouraging me. I wondered if he wanted to go to college and what he wanted to study. He was in the foster care system, so was college even a possibility for him?

I don’t know why the thought distressed me so much. My academic future didn’t look all that bright.

Ever since I’d visited my cousin Debbie in the hospital after she gave birth, I’d wanted to be a NICU nurse. But no matter how good my grades were, my aunt and uncle had made it clear they didn’t have money to send me to college, nor would they be taking out any student loans on my behalf. I’d have to pray for one hell of an all-inclusive scholarship if I wanted out of this dump.

After dinner, I helped my aunt clean the kitchen and then quietly went upstairs to my room, locking the door behind me.

Chapter Nine

Roman

While “level two” gave me some freedom in the house, I had to be on the van with all the other kids at seven a.m. sharp so I could be unloaded in front of the high school with the rest of the herd. I was allowed to walk home after school, but I couldn’t walk to school in the morning.

None of that made sense to me. I mean, wasn’t I more likely to get in trouble lingering after school?

Since I had no desire to lose my privileges, I kept my opinions to myself and had my ass in the van on time.

Besides, maybe I’d get to see Juliet before school. She struck me as the type who might show up early.

Cheap, powdery perfume choked my nostrils and I glared at the offender standing over me. “Let me have the window seat,” Evie said, pressing her breasts into my arm.

“Get your own seat,” I growled, irritated she was putting me in a position where I might end up in trouble.

I stared straight ahead, ignoring her until Greg, one of the counselors who rode with us, saw her and jumped up. “Find a seat, Evie. Now!”

She huffed and bitched the whole way, finally throwing herself into a seat in the back. I nodded my thanks at Greg and resumed looking out the window.

Pip ended up next to me, chattering away about an art project he had planned. High school students got dropped off first, so I ruffled his hair before squeezing past him and bounding down the steps.

Being dropped off early wasn’t so bad. At least there weren’t a lot of people around to see me exit the navy blue van with Pine Bluff Group Home written along the side in big, bold, white letters.

Evie and her friend Janet lingered behind me, and I ignored them. Most of the other kids went on ahead, but I was busy searching for a certain redhead.

“You’re supposed to go inside to the cafeteria,” Evie informed me.

I continued ignoring her as I entered the building.

Thankfully, my lack of responses seemed to bore her and she gave up. I wandered to my locker so at least I’d have an excuse if I got caught not reporting to the cafeteria right away.

There she was.

Sitting on the floor in front of our locker with her knees pulled up to her chest, reading.

“Morning,” I said.

She startled then smiled when she looked up and saw me. “Hey, I was hoping I’d see you.”

My heart stopped.

Just fucking stopped. “Were you waiting for me?”

She blushed and ducked her head. “Sort of.”

I held out my hand and helped her up off the floor. “Well, I was looking for you, so we’re even.”

She still couldn’t seem to meet my eyes. “I’m really sorry about yesterday,” she whispered.

Yesterday was pretty fantastic, all things considered. Meeting her was the best day I’d had so far this entire year. Maybe in my whole life.

Finding her courage, she straightened up and met my eyes. “At my house…when you…”

Shit. So far gone over her, I forgot that she’d blocked my clumsy attempt to kiss her. Maybe she was waiting here to tell me to find my own locker and get lost.